Wednesday, October 21, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
19
Exploring Tam McArthur Rim
By Craig F. Eisenbeis
Correspondent
Our continuing dearth of
precipitation is a disaster for
the mountains, the snowpack,
our water supply, and the ski-
ing industry; but it does serve
to extend the hiking season.
Although, with dry lake-bot-
toms exposed, brooks dried
up, and vegetation brown and
bleak, the scenery isn’t what
we’re accustomed to in the
mountains. Yet there are some
destinations that still have
plenty to offer.
So, when a friend asked
me how recently I last wrote
up Tam McArthur Rim, I had
to think about it a bit. The
Rim is one of our area’s most
popular hikes, and it has been
more than six years since it
last popped up in my column.
Well, I thought, I guess I’d
better do something about
that! So, off we went.
Looking up to the moun-
tains from Sisters, Tam
McArthur Rim is the high
ridge visible below and
to the left of Broken Top.
Nearby Three Creek Lake
is the jumping-off point for
this hike, and the lake is easy
enough to find. Just follow –
you probably figured this out
– Three Creek Lake Road.
The trail starts its ascent
from the left side of the road
near the southeast corner of
the lake. It ascends steeply
for the first quarter of a mile
before the pitch becomes a
bit more moderate. The total
distance, one way, is about 2.5
miles. Along the way, there
are some spectacular views of
the lake and the Three Sisters
Mountains.
About a mile up the slope,
the trail enters the Three
Sisters Wilderness, so you
should have already filled
out and be carrying your
free wilderness permit. Once
inside the wilderness, the
grade becomes more gradual.
Eventually, the trail enters a
large open area. Continue on
and up the steep pitch ahead.
When the trail is fully atop
the ridge, the trees thin out,
and the landscape opens up
even more.
In recent years, the Forest
Service has endeavored to
better define the trail and
consolidate the myriad user
trails formed over the years.
Signage has also seen some
(modest) improvement.
Follow the well-worn path
leading straight ahead to the
higher ground marking the
edge of the Rim itself.
At more than 7,700 feet,
the Rim rivals the elevation
of such prominent local peaks
as Mt. Washington and Three
Fingered Jack. Breathtaking
vistas look down on Three
Creek Lake and Little Three
Creek Lake, a thousand feet
below.
The Rim is named for
Lewis A. “Tam” McArthur,
a Portland businessman
who was appointed, by Gov.
Oswald West, to the Oregon
Geographic Names Board
in 1914. Two years later,
McArthur became the board’s
secretary, a position in which
he served for the next 33
years.
During that time,
McArthur literally “wrote
the book” on “Oregon
Geographic Names.” His
interest in Oregon history and
geography led him to compile
and publish the first edition of
Oregon place names in 1928.
Although McArthur died
in 1951, his son, Lewis L.
McArthur, assumed respon-
sibility for the work, which
is presently in its seventh
edition. It remains the defini-
tive resource on the history of
Oregon geographic names and
is published by the Oregon
Historical Society Press.
Ironically, according to
his son, the rim that bears
McArthur’s name is probably
one of the few prominent geo-
graphic features in Oregon
that he never visited. The
younger McArthur also notes
that his father would prob-
ably not have approved of the
use of a nickname (Tam) on a
geographic feature.
The official trail ends near
the summit at a sign that,
appropriately enough, sim-
ply says “End of Trail.” Any
spot along the rim is an idyllic
place to stop, relax, gaze into
the distance and explore your
contemplative side. If you’re
the more fidgety type who
has a hard time sitting still, be
sure to bring a lunch so you
can justify a little down-time.
photo by craig F. Eisenbeis
Tam McArthur Rim rises above Three Creek Lake.
We met a lone woman at
the end of the trail. She was
quietly eating lunch, and we
chatted a bit. We learned that
she was from The Valley. An
avid hiker, this was her first
time at the Rim. She told us
that her son had told her she
should come here because it
was a very special place.
We didn’t want to impose
on her solitude and found
a comfortable spot for our
own lunch before heading
back down. As we began our
descent, the lady suddenly
joined us; and we quickly
discerned that she was long-
ing for companionship. What
she hadn’t told us earlier, she
confided now. Yes, she was
there at her son’s suggestion;
but she was also there to scat-
ter his ashes at a place that he
had considered to be special.
Keeping the rim at our left,
we returned by a slightly dif-
ferent route, probably not one
approved as an “official” trail,
but well-worn, nonetheless.
Eventually, this trail rejoined
the original trail.
The Tam McArthur Rim
Trail is reached by heading
south from Sisters on Elm
Street, which becomes Three
Creek Lake Road. The pave-
ment ends at about fourteen
miles. Continue another two
miles toward the lake. The
road here is in really rough
shape. A passenger car can
probably negotiate the road
very slowly; but, even in my
truck, it sometimes felt like an
amusement-park ride.
The trailhead appears on
your left and is well marked.
Parking is at roadside, but
there is also a parking lot at
the junction of Forest Road
900, which leads to the
Driftwood Campground. If
you drive to within sight of
the lake, you’ve gone a short
distance too far.